Seven persons were killed - six of them aged between 10 and 18 - and more than 20 injured when a bus carrying around 100 baraatis flipped on its side at a bend near Patratu Valley, 25km from capital Ranchi, on Sunday afternoon.
Police, who suspect the driver was speeding, also blamed overloading for the high number of casualties.
Chief minister Raghubar Das, expressing concern over the incident, has announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 lakh for each of the bereaved families and Rs 20,000 for the injured.
According to sources, tragedy struck around 3pm when the hired school bus was headed for Gedda, a tribal village near Patratu Valley in Pithoria thana area, from the residence of one Mahadeo Oraon, the father of the groom, in Chama Nagri village under Kanke police station of the city.
"Men were seated on the roof of the packed bus while women and children were inside. As the valley stretch began, the bus overturned while negotiating a bend," said Biras Toppo, who is close to the groom's family. He added that the toll would have been more had the bus flipped on its left side, where there was a deep ditch.
Rural SP Raj Kumar Lakra said preliminary investigations suggested that the driver lost control while taking a turn. "Why he lost control is being ascertained. Right now the focus is on saving the injured," Lakra said.
The deceased have been identified as Musa Toppo (10), Rohan Oraon (13), Chandan Oraon (14), Rahul Toppo (15), Sudip Toppo (16), Lala Toppo (18) and Budhram Lohra (40).
The injured have been admitted to RIMS in Bariatu while the bodies have been sent to the same state-run hospital's mortuary. The badly damaged bus was rescued with the help of a crane. There is no official word on whether the driver was injured, but sources claimed he fled the spot soon after the accident.
An officer said the driver lacked experience. "Also, the bus was top heavy and may have been speeding," he said.
Another policeman said the bus was stopped near a checkpost in Pithoria for overloading. "Barely 10 minutes before the accident, the bus was pulled up for being packed beyond capacity. There were people on the roof. However, since the passengers were bound for a wedding, the bus was allowed to go upon request," he said.
An eyewitness claimed the accident took place because the brake failed. "The driver had switched off the ignition as he started descending the slope. But, the power vacuum brake did not work and the mishap took place," he said.
